KDs are designed/developed/inspired/mused/auto-suggested/indigested to make folks think; an especially uncommon experience among Democrats, Republicans, and jingoistic mainline denominationalists who continue to discourage dissent with their ever-threatening thought police.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Jewelry

I'll never forget
shopping for a cross about 35 years ago in a big mall jewelry store near
Edison, New Jersey.

When I asked the
salesman if he'd let me see the store's stock of crosses, he asked, "Do
you want one with or without the little man on it?"

As time has
passed and I pray and try to be His with increasing passion, that
question keeps coming back to me.

@#$%

I kinda grew up
in days when men didn't wear a lotta jewelry unless, uh, you know, they were
kinda...

It wasn't
considered manly.

While I don't
know who makes up the rules for that kinda stuff, the rules for that kinda
stuff started changing when Bo Jackson showed up in a Royals uniform with a
diamond stud in his ear and Michael Jordan won a bunch of NBA crowns with more
bling than Cher and...

You know what I
mean; and if you don't, you gotta stop hanging out with people who are only
just like you in defiance/rebellion of/against His expectation of unity despite
diversity in, through, and for Him.

Go to a biker
rally sometime and see real
unity amid diversity; and, come to think of it, there's a book about...

@#$%

Conditioning is a
hard thing to overcome.

It's like
denominational pride.

It has nothing to
do with following Jesus and being in communion with people who follow Jesus
representing the rainbow colors of the covenant.

So I've been
resistant to those kinda
changes.

Of course, our
Lord provides apocalyptic moments or Damascus Road experiences to shake us out
of, uh, ourselves and back to...

I think of the
day a few years ago when I walked into the restroom before worship, looked into
the mirror, and blurted, "Dang, you look ridiculous!"

Now I'm not
saying that people who continue to wear silly vestments look ridiculous.

Maybe I am.

Ever read Matthew
6:25-34?

I wonder if we'll
be wearing collars and Genevan gowns when we do the Revelation worship thing.

Don't be so defensive.

Ask Him.

BTW, you holy
ones who snicker at colleagues in vestments but still wear ties and suits every
Sunday which, uh, is tantamount to wearing vestments 'cause you wear the same
thing whenever you do holy stuff gotta ask in a KD kinda way if wearing expensive gravy rags on steroids and
stuff like that helps you identify with the poor or even the Suffering Servant
Himself.

I'm just asking.

I'm just
thinking.

You know.

It's a KD thing.

He called us to do
His thing more than anyone else's.

Why do you wear
what you wear?

Is it for Him or
yourself or because somebody else decided that...?

@#$%

Despite
conditioning, I wear jewelry; and really don't care what anybody thinks about
it because every piece symbolizes something about my relationship with Him/His
and causes people to ask which opens doors to talk about Jesus.

It's like my
missionary mule.

I ride because,
uh, I like to ride; yet it also opens doors to talk about Jesus if I don't come off like a...

I wear a wedding
band for obvious reasons.

I wear a ring
that I bought just outside of the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem that has an inlay of
the Decalogue for, uh, obvious reasons.

I just got a
big and, according to my wife, gaudy "Lion of Judah" ring
because, well, uh, He's about to roar back as the...

I wear two
crosses.

One is made of
nails and reminds me of what He did for me/us and what I/we must do for Him to
prove faith's veracity.

The other was
given to me at ordination back on 5/8/77. It's the cross used as the seal
for my old denomination (UPCUSA) prior to merger into the PCUSA in the alphabet
soup of denominational division/pride. Anyway, it's a prominent Celtic
cross surrounded by porcelain inlays of other symbols highlighting God's
sovereignty, Holy Spirit, Biblical revelation, and mission. It's
beautiful; or, uh, was beautiful. The porcelain has chipped over the
years like, uh, me if you
know what I mean.

Strange.

I don't like to
wear jewelry; yet I do.

I do because I
need reminders about really important stuff and because people ask me about it
and it opens doors to talk about Jesus.

2 comments:

CRG
said...

I had a thought on your last topic -- revealing women's attire. I may be low on testosterone count, but how they're attired has never mattered that much to me in most circumstances (although I certainly agree on the need for some modesty on the part of female believers).

I don't think this has to do with sexual orientation as to the degree I'm focussed on where I'm trying to go. I have a tendency, when walking from Points A to B to fix my eyes on landmarks and not people. People are essentially obstructions -- orange cones, in my perception, because my purpose is to get from Point A to Point B. You might find this helpful.

Another thing you might find helpful is this: If you are near-sighted, and walking that same distance, take your glasses off unless you need them for safety purposes.

Responsibility for appropriate behavior toward the opposite gender is on the shoulders of two people, not just one.